Next entry
July 2001
October 2001
Tijuana Gringo | |
Daniel's Journal | by Daniel Charles Thomas |
3 September 2001. |
Almost a week has passed since I returned to Tijuana after three days with the parents in San Diego. I'll be crossing over again tomorrow. Tomorrow is my mother's birthday. Tomorrow is Mom's birthday. Two different voices, two different attitudes and perspectives toward my reader. Are you a person to whom I would say "Mom's birthday" or to whom I would say "my mother's birthday"? It don't matter, it doesn't matter. What happens is that by using one form or the other -- and being consistent in orchestrating my choice of forms -- I can arrouse in you, the reader, a sense of... of voice, let us say. By speaking to you with one set of terms or the other, I can design the kind of personal relationship I want you to feel for me as your narrator. This is the dance between writer and reader. The dance of Word. Logos. Thank you for joining me, here. Do you prefer tango or slow waltz or hard rock or hip hop?Pay No Attention to that little man behind that screen? I am Oz the powerful and magnificent.... NOT
* grin *
'Tis Monday, Labor Day, today. Friday Tere and I met at CECUT -- was was listening to -- and watching -- a talk with slides projected by Enrique Estrada. One of the master artists who comes to speak. A lot of motion studies in photography; Mubridge et al. He spoke of inquietud personal from which an artist puede concretar y sintesar your work y que Tijuana manifiesta un desarollo desigual y combinado. Que hay cosas extranas que se dan en Tijuana. Que aqui es la vanguardia de la vanguardia.
TRANSLATION: ...personal inquietude from which an artist can put together and synthesize your work and that Tijuana manifests an unequal and combined development. That there are unusual things coming down in Tijuana. That here is the vanguard of the vanguard (avant-garde of the avant-garde).
There's going to be another master speaking on 5 September at 8:00 pm (or was that 18:00?) -- Saul Camila.
Then we all trundled out to attend the opening of Daniel Ruanova's dozen works of Despintura ("Unpainting") in the main hall. Luis Ituarte (native Tijuanan, patron of arts, works with Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department and promotes LA-TJ exchanges) gave some opening remarks. Esta es arte autoctona real arte de Tijuana. Esa transformacion. Daniel [Ruanova] por su arte expresa lo que es Tijuana, una ciudad que sigue transformando, como su arte, desde una cosa crea otra cosa. Todo el mundo esta focando en Tijuana y lo que esta pasando en Tijuana -- estamos cocinando el posmodernismo aqui, adentro un enjambre de jovenes como Daniel, Tanya, Jorge, Meli y muchos otros, que estan haciendo un trabajo contextual....
TRANSLATION: This is autochthonic real art of Tijuana. That transformation. Daniel [Ruanova] by his art expresses what is Tijuana, a city which continues to transform, like his art, from one thing creating another thing. All the world is focussed on Tijuana and what is happening in Tijuana -- we are cooking the postmodernism here, within a hive of young artists like Daniel, Tanya Candidiani, Jorge Ruiz, Meli Berragan and many others, who are making a contextual work....
There were many other things said, but I only took a few notes at the time -- words that struck me as relevant both to the moment, the art(s) being discussed, and my personal mission in this city of the future Earth.
While we were there, Tere correctly decoded the text and images. Yes, Daniel Ruanova said, that is a copy of the paintings as they originally looked, and this is them after I scraped off ninety percent of the paint, and that sculpture of colored blocks is what I made from all the scrapings.
Deconstruction in the flesh.
Alberta -- associate from classes where I met Tere 18 months ago -- showed up. Later the three of us drove out to Playas where that Casa de la Cultura was celebrating its third anniversary. We arrived as the speechmaking was ending. Some music followed. I wrote a poem which I would revise over the next couple days. They served dinner there in the courtyard patio, at the tables around the small bandstand. Paella & salad; vino. The delightful surprise: wine and dinner was free. The music was rather good. Very good. Some classical guitar solos were followed by an Andean group.
Drove back into downtown. Tere and Alberta dropped me a home. Carlos was drinking with his friends and invited me join. Laura, Rafael, Celso, Eduardo, and later, Cecilia. My landlord began to insult me and then apologize, "although, of course, Gringo, you know I am right, no?" Ay, Carlos, no hay ninguna persona como tu. No one like you. Damn intelligent man and cooks like the devil or a saint, damn good cook. One of the top caterers in Tijuana. I'm lucky to live in his (and his brother's) building, and honored to be invited to sit in with his friends in the watches (desvelados) of the night. Eventually he staggered off to bed, leaving me with the others still chatting. They are rather good to me, often taking the time to explain a phrase or word I don't understand. Eventually I read them one of my first poems written in Spanish, que huele el rio and seemed to be moved. Then asked me if I knew how to lock up the kitchen so we wouldn't have to wake up Carlos. Yes, I can.
Next entry | July 2001 |
October 2001 |
|
XANADU NAVBAR |
Server: X-Mission | Host: Gastown | Xanadu Incontents | index.html | Escritores TJ |
Tijuana Gringo | Elementals | Yucatan | Protest | Elephants! | Genealogos |
Martha | Onyx City | Editors | Guests | Linxs | Archives |